Vatican II and the Governance of the Local Church: The Diocese of Ferrara, 1959–1976

Contested legacy: An Anglican looks at Vatican II

“…The pillars still await the dome that would draw them into a unity. 12 At the present time the Christian world waits in prayerful expectation to see how far Pope Francis I will be able to complete the unfinished business of Vatican II. Without continually banging the Vatican II drum in public, Francis is deeply committed to its teaching and tone.…”

“…'It was undoubtedly a rupture,' he said in 1966 after the Council, which he had attended as a theological advisor (peritus), 'but a rupture within a fundamentally common intention.' 6 And in 1985 Ratzinger anticipated a renewal of the Council's impact through discovering the true 'spirit' of the Council beneath the actual texts. 7 In an address to the Roman Curia in 2005, however, Benedict XVI rejected what he called 'a hermeneutic [method of interpretation] of discontinuity and rupture' and advocated instead 'a hermeneutic of reform and renewal'.…”

“…6 And in 1985 Ratzinger anticipated a renewal of the Council's impact through discovering the true 'spirit' of the Council beneath the actual texts. 7 In an address to the Roman Curia in 2005, however, Benedict XVI rejected what he called 'a hermeneutic [method of interpretation] of discontinuity and rupture' and advocated instead 'a hermeneutic of reform and renewal'. The Church grows and develops in time, yet always remains essentially the same.…”